My AM Routine

Hello everyone! This is BJ and for my first post I want to talk about something that I do that helps create order for my day. I call it my AM routine.  This routine gets me ready for the day. By completing it I gain the following:

1. A Feeling of Success - I've accomplished something first thing
2. A Positive Mindset - I look forward to the day instead of dreading it
3. Energy, Energy, Energy - I have energy that I can share with my family and help them to get into a positive mindset

So why do I need an AM routine? Well in our family we have some unique opportunities throughout the day. Some of those consist of:

• Navigating a child in meltdown mode
• Getting a child to take medicine
• Helping a child get dressed
• Dr. Appointments
• Therapy Appointments
• Habitation and Respite worker scheduling
• ...

As you can see there are lots of things to do in a day and chaos is waiting around every corner. It's important that I have the right mindset and energy at the beginning of the day. That mindset and energy can then be projected to my children and hopefully help them to be upbeat and positive.

My AM Routine consists of 5 elements:

Exercise -  This can be as simple as a walk around the block, or as intense as a 20 minute Tabata workout. The point is to get things moving; to stretch muscles that have been dormant for the past 6-8 hours. It also wakes up the mind, increases air flow to the body and in general wakes you up.

Scriptures - Usually I listen to them, sometimes I read them. It allows for a calmness to spread in my mind and body so that I don't start freaking out about what has to be done today. The scriptures also allow me to receive inspiration and answers when needed. I average between 2 and 3 chapters a day.

Vision Board - A vision board is a place where I put goals that I want to achieve. It is hanging on the wall in my bedroom so it's one of the first things I see when I get out of bed. I spend 3 minutes, between 20 and 30 seconds per goal, intensely looking at each goal. There are currently 6 goals on my board right now and they vary between health, learning, travel, needs, etc. As I look at the goal I picture in my mind what it will feel like to have achieved it. I also talk to myself about the benefits of achieving the goal and how it will help me in my life.

Declarations - I have a list of declarations. These are statements I tell myself that help me to be the person I want to become. I have statements on there such as "I have faith", "I seek wisdom in good books" and "I endure to the end". These declarations boost my energy and help me to have a positive mindset as I tackle the day

Prayer - I take time to check in with my Higher Power. I discuss with Him things that are coming up during the day. I thank Him for things that I have, blessings I have received, etc. I also ask for guidance and help on issues that will be part of the day so that I can do the right things.

Tracking - I also track my progress for the week. This allows me to see how I've done and also builds up feelings of success. This is especially important when the day has been long. I can look at my tracking and see that I accomplished my routine and feel better about getting things done that day.

I invite you to give an AM routine a try. If five things are overwhelming, you can start with 1 or 2 and build from there. Find things that will work for you and then track how your day goes when you start it off with the routine.

My AM routine is an important part of my day. It allows me to set a positive course for the day and helps me to be ready for whatever gets thrown my way.